In chapter 49 of the Book of Genesis, Jacob is on his deathbed, and he, in effect, pronounces judgment upon the nation of Israel in the persons of his twelve sons. Each son is named, but the prophecy/judgment only marginally refers to the son or sons so named. The sons of Leah and the sons of Jacob’s concubines represent unbelieving Israel, and what Jacob prophesies about each of them refers particularly to the whole of the nation with respect to its relationship to the Lord, and how the character of the nation had deteriorated throughout its history to the point of it becoming extremely corrupt in the last days.
Moses went on to describe them as being like Sodom and Gomorrah, whose words are as the poison of asps (Deuteronomy 32:32-33). Israel in its last days does not mean the last days of its existence. Indeed, the nation as a governing body did pass out of existence for nearly 2000 years. However, the idea of the last days refers to the final period of time, when the physical nation had the unique responsibility of representing God before the world. That responsibility was judged and removed from the nation Israel in AD 70 and given to the followers of Christ.
As we noted in our previous study, Jacob is on his deathbed, and he prophesies about Israel’s last days. Speaking with his sons he tells them what will befall them at that time (Genesis 49:1-2). He began with Reuben (Genesis 49:3), saying he was the beginning of his strength, excellency, dignity and great power. He should have had a promising future but he gave all that away, when he defiled his father’s couch. Reuben, remember, went in unto Jacob’s concubine, Bilhah, just after Benjamin was born. The purpose wasn’t to satisfy his own lust, but to keep Jacob from begetting another son, who would be legally Rachel’s. It seems that naming Rachel’s son Benjamin “son of my right hand” offended Reuben, because it seemed Jacob was implying that he, the youngest son, would be the heir with firstborn rights.
While this was probably true about Benjamin taking Joseph’s place in Jacob’s heart, because he believed Joseph was dead, the point of the prophecy belongs not in the age of the Patriarchs, but to the final age, when the Messiah would arrive (Genesis 49:10). The Jewish authorities of the first century AD were keen on preserving their own authority, and they struck out at the Firstborn (Jesus—John 11:47-51). They engaged in spiritual fornication by colluding with the gentile authorities, Rome and Herod, to rid themselves of the promised Messiah (cp. Psalm 2:1-2 and Acts 4:25-27).
Jacob determined that Reuben was unstable as water, and he wouldn’t excel in anything, because he had committed fornication with Bilhah, Jacob’s concubine (Genesis 49:4). It is, indeed, true that nothing is ever said in the history of Israel or in the prophets that any of the sons of Reuben had ever done well. None of them excelled as a prince, prophet or judge. The only sons of Reuben of note are Dathan and Abiram who conspired with Korah against Moses and Aaron (Deuteronomy 11:6).
Nevertheless, as I mentioned above, this prophecy was not for Jacob’s day. Instead, it concerns the last days of Israel, as that pertained to the nation being the chosen Servant of the Lord, which was supposed to be a witness to the gentiles. In the context of the latter days of Israel’s service to the Lord, Jacob emphasized that the nation, in the person of Reuben, forfeited its firstborn status among the nations, because they chose to conspire with the gentiles (cp. Psalm 2:1-2), vis-à-vis in the person of Korah in the scripture above, against Jesus, their King and Priest, vis-à-vis in the persons of Moses and Aaron in the same scripture referred to above (Deuteronomy 11:6; cp. Acts 4:25-27).
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